Five years ago, a midseason Trae Young trade would have rocked the NBA. When it happened last night, it barely made a ripple.
The Hawks are sending Young to the Wizards in exchange for CJ McCollum and Corey Kispert, according to multiple reports. A breakup between Atlanta and the four-time All-Star seemed likely after the two sides failed to come to terms on a contract extension this summer, and ESPN's Shams Charania reported on Monday that the Hawks and Young's representatives were in talks on a potential exit, with Washington being the player's preferred destination. Young, 27, has a $49 million player option that he can exercise for next season.
There was a time when Young seemed like he might become a store brand version of Stephen Curry. His ability to light up the scoreboard, particularly by raining down threes from well beyond the arc, made him one of the brightest young stars in the league. In 2021, he carried the Hawks to the Eastern Conference finals, a run that memorably included him taunting the crowd at Madison Square Garden after hitting a game-winner against the Knicks in the first round. But that was the best season Atlanta would have during the Young era. The Hawks made the playoffs the next two years, only to bow out in the first round, and fell short of the postseason in each of the last two years.
In some ways, the game has passed Young by. Successful teams in today's NBA don't have just one transcendent pure scorer. Winning hinges more on depth and complementary basketball. Playing against more well-rounded opponents also makes it difficult to hide poor defenders, and Young is a defensive liability. Last season, Hawks opponents averaged 4.6 more points per 100 possessions when Young was on the court than when he was on the bench.
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